DETAIL Magazine 3/2010

Editorial For some years now, one has been aware of a new trend. Not just singles and childless couples with a good income want to live in inner-city locations; ever more families with children do as well – if they can afford suitable accommodation. Parallel to this, though, the age-old dream of a house of one´s own is a strong as ever. The demand for houses on their own plot of land continues unabated. Yet detached single-family houses are mostly of uniform design, and only in exceptional cases can they represent an adequate solution – for obvious reasons: they consume large areas of land and lead to an inflated transport infrastructure. Individual, higher-density housing forms are often an appropriate compromise. For example, terraced houses have a place even in inner-city locations, sometimes in the process of increasing the density of a development or as a replacement for existing building fabric The present issue of “Detail” is concerned with single-family houses in all their different forms. Detached houses are also included to in all their different forms. Detached houses are also included to round off the picture. Above all, thogh, compact models are shown, from inner-city infill schemes to semi-detached and terraced houses, from patio types to small estates. Emphasis is placed on the variety of concepts and spatial alternatives as well as on cost and energy-efficient construction. Privately owned houses, even compacted types, are obviously not the most sustainable form of building. On the other hand, they are a source of many innovations in this field. Experience shows that people´s willingness to invest environmental measures is greatest where their own house is involved; or rather that decisions are easiest to take in that situation. Compared with the drab uniformity of the single-family houses one knows from estates around our cities, all the examples illustrated here represent a genuine gain – in terms of access and the use of land, and not least in respect of the functional quality of their layouts, their appearance and the level of amenities. Skillful planning and accomplished design are obviously of benefit to users, too.

Process Terraced Houses in Osdorp, Amsterdam Atelier Kempe Thill, Rotterdam Demolition and New Construction – Higher Density Housing Between City and Countryside From Empty House to Private Landscapte Experimental Housing that Meets Commercial Conditions Individual and Cost-Efficent – Housing Types That Allow Scope for Detalis “Whether the house is white or has a brick facade is all the same to me. Important are the bright, open spaces.” – A resident´s experience Housing Development in Kvistgard Tegnestuen Vandkunsten, Copenhagen Urban Planning and Design The Structure: Prefsbricated, Quickly Assambled and Cost-Effective Living Together in Kvistgard – Residents´Impressions “The main thing is: it looks cheap…” – Interview whit the Architects Products Facades Windows and Doors Interior Walls, Ceilings and Acoustics Lifts, Elevators and Access Office Interiors Detail Prize Service Persons and organizations involved in the planning / Contractors and suppliers Programme / Photo credits / Editorial and publishing data